Russia, Turkey agree in Tashkent talks to normalise ties: report

Russia and Turkey clinched a deal to normalise relations in secret talks in the Uzbek capital Tashkent following mediation by figures including a prominent Turkish businessman and Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev, a report said Tuesday. Ankara and Moscow in late June agreed to mend ties that had been severely damaged by Turkey’s shooting down of a Russian plane over the Syrian border in November. In a sign both sides are intent on improving relations, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan Tuesday heads to Saint Petersburg for his first talks with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin since the crisis.